Brennan Center for Justice: “A diverse bench is crucial to achieving a fair system of justice and promoting public trust in our courts. Across the country, state supreme courts continue to fail to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. Key find­ings since our last update include:

• In 20 states, no justices identify as a person of color, includ­ing in 12 states where people of color make up at least 20 percent of the popu­la­tion.
  • There are no Black justices in 28 states.
  • There are no Latino justices in 39 states.
  • There are no Asian Amer­ican justices in 43 states.
  • There are no Native Amer­ican justices in 47 states.
• Across all state high courts, just 18 percent of justices are Black, Latino, Asian Amer­ican, Native Amer­ican, or multiracial. By contrast, people of color make up over 40 percent of the U.S. popu­la­tion.
• Men hold 59 percent of state supreme court seats.
• In 9 states, there is only one woman on the supreme court bench.
• 39 percent of sitting justices are former prosec­utors, while only 7 percent are former public defend­ers…”